Title :
Recent progress in Cr/sup 4+/ lasers
Author :
Pollock, C.R. ; Barber, D.B. ; Jaspan, M.
Author_Institution :
Sch. of Electr. Eng., Cornell Univ., Ithaca, NY, USA
Abstract :
Summary form only given. This talk first reviews recent results in cw and femtosecond performance of the Cr:forsterite and Cr:YAG lasers. Limitations on the performance of these lasers in terms of excited-state absorption and thermally enhanced nonradiative decay are emphasized. New hosts such as montecellite, YSO, and the scandium garnets are discussed. Diode-pumping experiments are reviewed, and possible reasons why diode pumping has not (yet) been successful are proposed. New laser architectures such as waveguide lasers based on composites of Cr:forsterite nanocrystals in a refractive-index-matched host are described.
Keywords :
chromium; composite materials; excited states; high-speed optical techniques; nanostructured materials; optical pumping; refractive index; reviews; solid lasers; Cr/sup 4+/ lasers; Cr:YAG lasers; Cr:forsterite lasers; Cr:forsterite nanocrystal composites; Mg/sub 2/SiO/sub 4/:Cr; ScAG:Cr; ScAl5O12:Cr; ScGG:Cr; ScGa5O12:Cr; YSO:Cr; cw lasers; diode pumping; diode-pumping experiments; excited-state absorption; femtosecond performance; laser architectures; montecellite; refractive-index-matched host; review; reviews; scandium garnets; thermally enhanced nonradiative decay; waveguide lasers; Absorption; Chromium; Couplers; Laser beam cutting; Laser excitation; Laser tuning; Mirrors; Power lasers; Pump lasers; Semiconductor diodes;
Conference_Titel :
Lasers and Electro-Optics, 1996. CLEO '96., Summaries of papers presented at the Conference on
Conference_Location :
Anaheim, CA, USA
Print_ISBN :
1-55752-443-2
